


When He Left (Trio of Towns)

by vampireprincess624



Series: Trio Of Towns - Life In The Towns [2]
Category: Story of Seasons: Trio of Towns
Genre: F/M, Unrequited Love, angst and hurt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-11
Updated: 2018-07-04
Packaged: 2019-05-21 02:27:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 4,226
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14906603
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vampireprincess624/pseuds/vampireprincess624
Summary: Ford has been gone for six months, away from Westown, away from the clinic, away from everyone. Wayne, Brad, Hector... everyone. But the one he misses most is Pixie. How has he been getting on without her?





	1. The Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> This work is part of a series - Life In The Towns - so you might want to read Part 1 first. By no means do you need to though, it just might make this part mean more. Part 1 is not at all finished, but since in it Ford leaves, I thought it would be interesting to write about what's going on with him.

It was hard, meeting new people. It was hard trying to fit in. He had gone to a new town, moved into a new home, and he didn't like it one bit. But then, Ford had never been one for change. 

Arriving at his new living quarters at three in the morning was not something he was proud to share. The sky was streaked with pink and the orange glow of the sunrise was peaking over the green – very green – horizon. It was too green. Ford was used to the Westown red, and the clouds of dust that coated his shoes every time he walked outside the clinic. There was a path made out of pebbles in between the luscious green spaces, leading to various shops and one to a residential area. Again, he'd chosen to live in a small town, where there wouldn't be too many people to bother him.

He had the key in his pocket, and placing down his brown suitcase, he found it and unlocked the door. The clinic he was moving to now was similar, but was painted entirely in pale blue, no white. His second favourite colour, just like this would be his second favourite town.

Walking through the door, he noticed at once the layer of dust that covered every surface. Taking a deep breath to try and calm himself down, he placed the suitcase by the door and switched on the light. The room was smaller than in Westown, but was set out similarly. In the far corner there was a hospital bed, and the floor was the same colour. What was different, however, was the fact the the desk was directly right from the door. Behind the desk was a doorway – that was good, it meant people wouldn't keep walking into his living quarters like they had in Westown. He walked through this doorway, and was right in front of a staircase. Not the best place for it to be, he had to admit. The steps were wooden, and led up to what he presumed was his bedroom, considering the room he was in now only had a couple of tables and chairs. He cautiously stepped onto the staircase, hoping the wood wasn't as rotten as it looked. To his relief, it just creaked a little. 

Upstairs was tiny and rather unimpressive. There was a small bed and a bathroom, as well as a coffee table and some sort of kitchen, but it was all compact into one small space. He sighed. This was where he was to live now. It had been his decision to leave, and he was stuck with it. He couldn't stay in a place where his father lived.

In fact, it wasn't just his father. It was Pixie. He was scared of what he was feeling for her, and cowardly, he was running away from it. Soon, he'd realise it was a big mistake.

A knock came from the door downstairs.  
'Heya, Ford. That's your name, innit love?'  
Ford stiffened. Why in the name of sanity was someone knocking on his door two minutes after he arrived, and what's more, at ten past three in the morning? Still, he'd have to go.

Moving briskly, he walked back downstairs and through to the door. When he opened it, a very skinny woman with chocolate brown hair was beaming at him. Her eyes were bright green, and she looked to be about thirty-five.  
'Good morning,' he greeted her, reaching out a gloved hand, 'My name is, indeed, Ford.'  
'Well, nice to meet you! My name is Olivia.'  
'Hello Olivia. What have you come here for?'  
'Just popping in to say hi! You know, you're all new and people are gonna come down and meet you.'  
'Splendid,' the sarcasm was thick in his voice.  
'Uh, well, I'll let you get on now, should I? If you need anything, my house is the first one down that path.'  
'Thank you. Good day.'  
She smiled at him once more, and then walked away. It occurred to him that he'd been quite cold, again. Oh well. It wasn't like he particularly needed friends.

He went to unpack and dust. It took two hours to clear the clinic of the dust that was hidden in every nook and cranny, and an hour further to unpack everything. Finally, he put his toothbrush by the sink and went to sit on his bed. He knew he should get some sleep. Just as he was pushing the suitcase under his bed, he remembered one thing he hadn't unpacked. Carefully taking it out of the bubble-wrap he'd secured it in, he placed the picture of Pixie on his bedside table and lay down, sadness finally settling into his heart.


	2. Remembering

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Ford's first day working, but can he bring himself out of his tangled thoughts?

He was not in the mood to meet new people. He was not in the mood to do anything at all. It was the start of his first day working, and all he wanted to do was hide himself from the world and, well, cry. Not that he would, of course. Ford hadn't cried in as long as he could remember. 

He tried to ignore it, as he got ready for the day, but it wasn't that easy. Soon he decided to give into it, but that caused his heart to ache and tears to almost appear in his eyes. Eventually he decided the best thing to do was blame it on Pixie. It was her fault, after all. If she hadn't met him, then he wouldn't be here, in a town full of new, strange people, wouldn't be on the verge of depression because he missed her so much.

When Ford sat down for a cup of coffee and cereal for breakfast, he realised that he couldn't blame Pixie for anything. It felt like a thousand years had gone by since he woke up, not thirty minutes. How was he going to get through today, let alone the rest of his life that he would be spending here? How was he to cope?

Maybe he shouldn't start work just yet. They'd understand, he just needed to settle in to his new home. He put his head in his hands and let memories play to life.

***

'Hey, Ford!'   
She ran up to him, golden hair shining in the sunlight. He was on his way to one of the market stalls at the bottom of the staircases, to buy mint or something. He felt the strange urge to talk to her.  
'Hello, Pixie. Was there something I could help you with?'  
'Well, not really,' she smiled, and he saw that she was still slightly scared of him. This was the first time he minded how harsh he was sometimes.   
'Then why are you here?'  
'I was just wondering about animal medicine.'  
'Pardon?'  
'Well, do you make it? Do doctors make it? Or do other people?' she frowned as she thought about it.  
'I do, on occasion, create medicine for animals. Not that often, however. Doctors do make it, but usually ones who specify in a different medical area. It's ver-'  
'Why do you speak like that?'  
'Like what?'  
'Like you're a prince or something.'  
Ford flushed pink. 'I do not!'  
'Yes, you do,' she paused. 'It's not a bad thing though. I like it.'  
'You- You do?'  
'Yes. Gosh, you'd think nobody had ever paid you a compliment before,' she was laughing, but she was only half-joking.   
Ford thought for a moment. 'I don't recall anyone complimenting me in a long time. In fact, I can't remember a time anyone ever has.'  
Pixie stopped smiling, sadness appearing in her eyes. She tentatively put a hand on Ford's arm. 'Oh, Ford,' she whispered, 'That's terrible.'  
He moved his arm away subtly. 'Pixie, I really don't mind.'  
'I'll just have to say something nice about you every time I see you, then.'  
'There's really no need...'  
'Bye, Ford!'

***

He rubbed his eyes, coming out of his daydream. That encounter was one of the many that he remembered as clear as day, and always would. Now, he really needed to get to work. His first patient would be arriving soon.

Making his way over to his desk, Ford tried to put Pixie to the back of his mind. It would not be fair to drag his clients into his personal problems. And it wasn't really a problem, either. He was just being strangely emotional about leaving Westown, and Pixie was the one he'd last spoken to. That was all. It was her fault, anyway. She's brought his father to him, and if that hadn't happened... he would be safe and content, back where he belonged.

But in truth, he knew it wasn't just his father. If Pixie had never moved to the crossroads but someone else had found the man who had ruined his childhood, Ford knew he would have stayed. It was mostly Pixie, though he would rather die than admit it to himself. He was scared. Scared and stupid, two things he should never be. Still, it wasn't his fault; it was Pixie's for making him feel like that. For making him feel the need to escape her for fear that his heart would explode in his chest if he stayed. For making him more senselessly happy than was really in the realms of possibility. 

Was that the plan then? To make himself hate her until he moved on? Ford almost laughed at himself. As if he could ever hate her. As if he could ever blame her. And as if he could ever move on. 

This was not how it was supposed to be, he decided, not what he wanted. He wanted to go back, and nothing was stopping him if he put his mind to it. But then, if he did go back, he'd be with her again, which was everything he wanted yet also the opposite. He would hurt her, again, and he was sure of it. On top of that, what would happen if he went back and she had chosen Ludus? That would hurt him. In the end, it all came down to fear. It was fear that would keep him from going back, even though he was suffering beyond belief without her.

Sitting down at the desk, Ford looked at the first patient who sat opposite him. A middle-aged man wearing a painfully orange jumper. He started to complain about his arm which had been hurting for the past two weeks, but the doctor wasn't listening. Instead he was telling himself the same thing, over and over again.

It's time to move on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I hope you liked this chapter! :)


	3. Alice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 'You still love her, don't you.'  
> It wasn't a question.

Well, he had to meet new people eventually, didn't he? Not that he made an effort. People met him by falling ill and visiting him for treatment, and that was it.

So, the people he'd had the unfortunate luck to meet. Olivia, her sons Luca and Callum. A strange, slightly crazy man called Liam and his tiny little dog which constantly barked as if a house was on fire. Then there was an elderly couple called Noah and Mary. They were very religious and apparently very controlling parents as, according to Olivia, all five of their children had left as soon as they could. There was also a girl called Alice who seemed the nicest of the lot, and a young man called William who was crazy about her. Oh, and a man and his daughter whose names Ford couldn't remember. And that was it.

He was sitting at the table, hands curled around a steaming cup of coffee. He didn't like tea; never had. He wasn't especially sure why, either. Maybe he should give it a try again. It was probably because it tasted bitter without sugar, though the thought of spooning sugar into a drink repulsed him.  
'Hello?'  
Someone was downstairs. Goodness, couldn't people leave him alone when it wasn't working hours?

He sighed and went to see who the intruder was. It was Alice, looking around the ground floor of the clinic. She's left the door open, and a gentle breeze was blowing her soft brown hair back. It was very long; tumbling down her back all the way to her waist, and curled. When she turned to look at him, he noted that she had startling blue eyes and perfectly shaped lips. Her skin was olive and looked as smooth as silk.  
'Do you require assistance?' Ford asked her.  
She shook her head, smiling slightly. 'No, I just wanted to know if it's getting any better.'  
He stared at her. She hadn't said: “I want to know if you're okay,” or “What's wrong?”. She just wanted to know if he was getting any better. And sure, maybe she didn't know about Pixie, but she could still see that he was hurting, and suddenly Ford didn't feel so alone.

She was looking at him, as if waiting for an answer. Then he remembered that she had asked a question, and whilst that question brought on a lot of thoughts, it also required an answer.  
'Ah, well... not especially, if I am completely honest.'  
'Why don't we talk about it? I mean, if you want to. It might help.'  
He hesitated for a moment. 'N-no. It's okay.'  
'Well, if you're sure.'  
She turned to leave, giving him a sympathetic smile.  
'A-Actually, I think it might help.'  
She turned around. 'Of course. Where do we sit?'

They went upstairs, and Ford started to talk. Not about Pixie. Of course, that was what he should have spoken about, but he just couldn't. Instead, he told her all about how he'd moved away from everyone he'd ever known, the only real home he'd ever known, and it was difficult.

Alice didn't say anything for a minute, looking around his room. Ford felt vulnerable. He rarely let anyone into his private part of his house. Suddenly, Alice stopped looking around and her eyes fixed on something.  
'Who's she?'  
Ford realised that she was looking at his picture of Pixie. Blushing, he tried to say she was his sister, but Alice was clever, and not easily fooled.  
'She was someone you were in love with, wasn't she?' she said softly. Reluctantly, Ford nodded.  
'And you still love her, don't you?' It wasn't a question, it was a fact.  
'Yes.'  
'It'll be okay, in the end. I promise.'

Maybe Alice was clever. Maybe she was kind, and patient, and caring. But she was also wrong. Ford would not and could not forget about Pixie. Ever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you! <3 Please let me know what you think!


	4. The Light To His Life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alice is coming to visit Ford more often, so he can't avoid her asking about Pixie forever.

Alice came to visit him the most. For the first couple of weeks, she'd pretend to be ill just to check up on him, but then she just dropped by without an excuse. At first, this annoyed Ford, but after a while he got used to her being there.

One day, he was sitting at his desk, staring at his latest scientific calculations, when Alice came an leaned over the desk.  
'What are you doing?' she asked.  
'Reviewing my calculations.'  
Is it important?'  
'Yes.'  
'Could you talk to me a minute? Please?'  
'No.'  
She looked at him in a way that made him think that she would just pester him more if he tried to make her go away.  
'Okay, if I must. One minute.'  
'Great! Now tell me... who's Pixie?'

Ford froze. Her name was forbidden. Utterly and completely forgotten. But then, he hadn't told anyone else about her, so they didn't know not to mention her.  
'A... friend... that I left behind where I last lived.'  
'A friend, huh?'  
'Yes.'  
'Then why do you have her picture on your bedside table?'  
'She was a close friend.'  
'Ford.'  
He looked up at her, about to ask her to leave him alone. Then he stopped. If she was anyone else, he would have reached his breaking point by now and (not so politely) told them to go away. Alice was different. She was trying to understand him, the same way he was trying to understand how to be a better person, a better friend.

She watched him, a stubborn look on her face. Ford sighed.  
'She was a friend, that is true, but-'  
'Like you said, you were in love with her. But who is she?'  
Ford looked at her, confused for once in his life. What did she mean? She could be asking so many different things. What was she like? Why did he love her? Why did he miss her so much?  
'She's a girl who lived near my town.'  
'Yes, but who?'  
Then he understood. He took a deep breath, bracing himself, filling his mind with her face.  
'She was the light-lamp on a dark street,' he said, thinking of her bright smile, 'She was the waking moments in every day. She was the laugh to a joke and the beat to a heart. She was the stars to the night-sky, the sun to the day. It was like she was everything, in one.'  
Alice didn't speak, just looked at him carefully. His eyes brimmed with tears, but he refused to let them spill over. He would not cry. He was moving on.

After a few minutes, Alice spoke again.  
'I understand that you are in love with her. I understand that you miss her. What I don't understand is the anger.'  
She knew, of course she did. She was clever, so clever. And observant.  
'There was someone else. Her best friend. His name was Ludus, and he was her version of perfection, from what I could gather. When I left, she wasn't in love with him, but now... I fear she may be.'  
Alice nodded, and tentatively put a hand on his shoulder. 'I know you think this is the worst thing ever, but it's happened to other people. You'll get over it in a couple of months.'

He wanted to believe her, he really did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed!


	5. Time Changes Nothing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ford thinks he's okay with his life as more and more time passes since he left Westown.

Apart from Alice, he didn't have any friends. One month and only one friend. Still, he didn't really need any. She tried to introduce him to people, but they all just got in the way and he ended up being irritated by them.  
'No!' he yelled, when Alice said that she had someone she wanted him to meet.  
'Aw, come on. Just let her in.'  
'No.'  
Alice ignored him, opening the door. 'Hey, Claire! In you come!'  
Ford looked tiredly up from his work, watching the new girl with his intelligent, violent eyes. She had glossy black hair and wore bright red lipstick. He barely glanced at her long enough to meet her eyes.  
'Hi!' she said in an overly sweet voice.  
'Good morning,' he muttered.  
She introduced herself, but Ford wasn't listening. She wasn't important to him, never would be.

He was wrong there. A month later, she came to him confessing her love. At first he dismissed her, but then he thought again. He thought about how much he cherished Pixie. He couldn't let her down that harshly. He did something he would have never dreamed of doing before; he ran out after her and apologised. Told her good luck. Told her that she deserved someone better, like Pixie did.

Before that, though, there was the hospital. He started getting calls from unknown numbers, calls he ignored. Then he got one from a friend of his who was a doctor that worked in a hospital near Westown. He answered the phone, and was greeted with the news that he had to go to the hospital immediately.

It was Pixie. She was in hospital, in a grave condition. When he came to visit, she wasn't on the verge of death, but she was nowhere near what she should be. And the funny thing was, he was overcome by waves of fear, joy and sadness all at once, and it was almost too much to take. Fear because she was in a dangerous condition. Joy because he was with her again. And sadness because she was with Ludus.

When he got home, he almost cried. She would get better; he was a doctor, and he could tell that much. But she'd fallen in love with Ludus and moved on from him. Yet, maybe that wasn't true. She had called for him to come in, after all. And by the way she was talking, he was still in her dreams most nights. Maybe it was stupid, but he felt hope. Dim hope, like stars on a cloudy night, but they were stars nonetheless. 

That was another thing. Every night before he went to bed, he looked out the window at the stars and thought of her. It was strange, but it made him feel better. He knew that there was a very slim chance that she ever thought about him any more, but maybe one day he would go back. Perhaps by then, she and Ludus would have broken up and she would fall in love with him, Ford, instead. 

He thought he was getting better, that the pain was subsiding, but he was still in agony. It was like not realising that you were asleep until someone woke you up, but that hadn't happened yet. He went through the next few months, crawling through life, making do with what he had. It wasn't that he thought he was one of the happiest people alive, he knew he was still struggling, but he thought it was okay. Sometimes there were times where it became a bit much, but he always moved through that. Over and over again. Work, sleep, block Pixie from his mind. That was his life. A continuous, never-ending circle.

That was, of course, until the invitation arrived.


	6. Invitation

_To Ford,_  
_Hey, doc! It's me, Ludus. How are you now? I know the last time I saw you I basically yelled at you to get out the hospital. Sorry for that. But that was ages ago! And I haven't heard from you at all – you could be a world-famous doctor for all I know. You haven't heard from me either, so I guess it's fair._  
_Anyway, enough of that. I'm writing to you to tell you about Pixie's wedding. My wedding. Our wedding. It's on the 18th of April. You weren't on Pixie's guest list, but I heard her talk in her sleep, and I thought I should invite you. If you want to come. I think it would make her happy, if all her friends were there, even you._  
_Please don't come if you don't want to. I personally don't really want you there, but maybe it would be a good chance to say goodbye to everyone. So yeah. 18th of April, the beach at Lulukoko. Starts at half-two._  
_See you there, or not.  
_ _Ludus._


	7. Good-Bye

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ford is debating whether to go to the wedding or not.

He spent about a week pacing. Would he go? Should he go? Yes, it would be painful. It would be difficult. But if it made Pixie happy... maybe he should go. But then again, he wasn't part of her life any more. What good would it do if he came back like a ghost from her past?

In the end, he was so undecided that he asked Alice for her opinion.  
'Pixie's getting married,' he told her one day.  
She turned around to look at him, looking very sympathetic. 'I'm so sorry Ford.'  
He ignored her sympathy. 'Should I go?'  
'Go where?'  
'To the wedding, of course.'  
'Oh! Well, it depends. She obviously wants you there, but how much would it upset you if you went?'  
'More than I like to admit. But I want her to be as happy as possible too.'  
'That's the thing. Do you value her being more happy that you're there more than the sadness it will bring you?'  
Ford blinked. Why hadn't he thought of it that way? 'I want her to be happy, first and foremost.'  
'Then I suggest that you go.'  
He was silent for a moment, and Alice began to walk towards the door. He called her name, stopping her.  
'Do you want to come with me?'  
She turned around, hesitant. Then she shook her head, sadly. 'No. I can't. But you should go.'  
'Why?'  
'Because I don't know these people. This is your life, and I'm not welcome in it.'  
'I'm sure you would be. The residents of-'  
'I'm not going.'  
'But... okay. If you insist.'

So, a week later, he was getting ready to leave. A carriage pulled up outside. As he walked towards it, Alice came racing out after him.  
'Alice!' he said crossly, 'What are you doing?'  
'Take this,' she replied breathlessly. She handed him a suitcase, his suitcase. He looked at her questioningly.  
'In case you don't come back.'  
'Why wouldn't I come b-'  
'Just take it.'  
She threw her arms round him and said good bye. Then, just as he turned back around to get to his carriage, she kissed his cheek.  
'Wh- What was that for?' Ford demanded, taken off guard.  
'In case I don't see you again. Pixie is a very lucky girl, you know.' she smiled, shy all of a sudden.  
With that, she turned and ran down the path leading to her house. Ford watched her until he couldn't see her any longer, confused about what had just happened and what she had just said. Eventually, he got into his carriage. Alone. Heading for the wedding of the girl he loved.


End file.
